loading…
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning called the United States the world’s main source of nuclear threats. Photo/Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China
BEIJING – Government China stamp United States of America (USA) as nuclear threat major in the world.
Beijing has accused Washington of seeking to maintain military hegemony over other countries after American officials expressed the need to govern within Beijing’s much smaller arms program.
The Chinese government’s statement was made by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning at a press conference on Friday. His remarks came as he was asked to respond to US President Joe Biden’s security adviser who suggested the White House should “invest in China” in work to reduce the nuclear threat.
“Calling China a ‘nuclear threat’ is a convenient pretext for the US to expand its own nuclear arsenal and maintain its military hegemony,” Mao said.
The female diplomat emphasized that China has maintained a prudent and responsible nuclear policy, in stark contrast to Washington.
“It is the US that is the main source of the nuclear threat in the world,” said Mao, quoted from the official website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saturday (4/3/2023).
Following the foreign ministers meeting of the QUAD alliance (US, Japan, Australia and India) in New Delhi on Friday, the alliances issued statements deeming the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons unacceptable.
While the statement was not explicitly directed at Beijing, the QUAD alliance — sometimes referred to as the “NATO of Asia” — frequently points to the alleged threat posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region.
“China has stated our position regarding QUAD on several occasions. We believe that state-to-state cooperation should be consistent with trends of peace and development, rather than about creating exclusive regional alliances,” said Mao.
He then alluded to the forthcoming transfer of nuclear technology from the US to Australia under the AUKUS (Australia, UK and US) pact.
“The US has also built small blocs reminiscent of the Cold War by strengthening extended deterrence and carrying out nuclear submarine cooperation,” he said.
(min)
